About offering

Historians explore the past, examining the development of social, political, cultural and economic forces and how they have shaped societies and cultures over time.

Through examining the past, the History major seeks to help you understand present day societies, events and everyday life, and will encourage you to think of ways to help society overcome and adapt to the challenges of our changing environment.

This major’s international scope includes specialised studies in Australia, Western Europe and Russia, the Middle East, South Asia, South-East Asia and East Asia. Within this scope, you will study topics such as war, conflict, empire, imperialism, dictatorships, marginalisation, culture, heritage, place and belonging, whilst being encouraged to examine how history shapes the way we now think, believe and act.

You will also acquire critical thinking skills, and the capacity to analyse and discuss ideas, which are readily transferable into a range of careers.

History is offered as part of the Bachelor of Arts. You can enhance your studies with a secondary major or choose from a range of elective units to support your career goals.

Please refer to the handbook for additional course overview information.

How to apply

This major sits within the Bachelor of Arts degree. To apply for this major, you will apply for the Bachelor of Arts. In step 3 of the application process, you will be asked to confirm the major you wish to study.

Applying as an undergraduate student is easy. For information tailored to your situation, visit our easy to follow instructions to get your application started.

Ready to apply?

What you'll learn

demonstrate an understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of the discipline of history, and an ability to apply an historical perspective to the study of social life

demonstrate the ability to think critically, creatively and reflectively within the history discipline and across disciplinary boundaries

demonstrate the ability to locate relevant information from a range of sources and to make decisions about the significance of this information in the development of an historical analysis of social life

demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively through a variety of written, oral and other formats to diverse audiences in ways appropriate in history

demonstrate the ability to use a variety of technologies and the ability to decide on their applications appropriately

show sustained intellectual curiosity by taking responsibility for one's own learning and intellectual development through the recognition of a range of learning strategies

demonstrate the capacity to understand social life in a range of local and global contexts through the recognition of international practices in history

appreciate the importance of historical knowledge in contributing to an understanding of cultural diversity and human rights

understand the importance of appropriate theories and ethical and principled methods for undertaking historical research; Demonstrate the ability to produce appropriate scholarly knowledge through research

Why study History Major (BA)

You will acquire critical thinking skills and the capacity to analyse and discuss ideas, all readily transferable into a wide range of careers.

You will benefit from top-class teachers who are experts in their field.

Student profile

View our student profile table to get an indication of the likely peer cohort for new students at Curtin University. This table provides data on students that commenced undergraduate study and passed the census date in the most relevant recent intake period for which data are available. It includes those admitted through all offer rounds and international students studying in Australia.

What kind of applicant are you?

Completed your secondary education in Australia within the past two years? Learn how you can apply to Curtin.

Applicants with higher education study

Undertaken higher education study before? Find out how you can apply for a Curtin course and what credit you may be eligible for.

Applicants with vocational education and training (VET) study

Have you studied a VET course? Find out how you can get into Curtin using these qualifications.

Applicants with work and life experience

Spent time in the workforce, completed a pathway program or finished secondary education more than two years ago? See how you can apply to study at Curtin

Applicants with recent secondary education(within the past two years)

Applicants with recent secondary education are those whose admission is primarily based on the completion of Year 12 within the last two years, but also includes those who may have completed their senior secondary studies with a TAFE or other VET provider within the same time frame. This includes applicants whose secondary education was undertaken interstate or overseas.

Guaranteed ATAR: 70

This is the ATAR level at which an offer of admission is guaranteed, subject to any other non-ATAR criteria being met.

Essential WACE subjects (prerequisites):

English ATAR, Literature ATAR or English as an Additional Language/Dialect ATAR.

STAT entry:&nbspWritten English and either MC Verbal or Quantitative

The Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) assesses competencies considered important for success at uni.
These tests are provided by the Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) to help mature age candidates apply for certain courses.

If you’re an indigenous applicant who hasn’t met Curtin’s minimum admissions criteria, the Centre for Aboriginal Studies offers bridging courses that are tailored to help you gain entry into this course.

Lowest selection rank to which a recent Year 12 student offer was made (including the consideration of any equity or other adjustment factors)

View the lowest selection rank (incorporating ATAR plus any adjustments) of an applicant to which an offer of a place was made in the most relevant recent intake period, this includes any ATAR adjustments.

ATAR and selection rank profile for those offered places wholly or partly on the basis of ATAR in the most recent intake period

Applicants with higher education study

Applicants with higher education are those whose highest level of study since leaving secondary education is a higher education course, such as a university degree. This includes applicants who are currently studying a higher education course at another education provider and want to transfer to Curtin University, or applicants who are currently studying at Curtin but want to switch to a different course. It also includes applicants who have completed past study with university and non-university higher education providers.

Applicants with vocational education and training (VET) study

Applicants with vocational education and training (VET) study are those whose highest level of study since leaving secondary education is a VET course. This includes study at a public TAFE or other VET provider, whether a qualification was completed or not. Applicants with VET study may have other qualifications such as a Year 10 or Year 12 secondary school certificate.

Guaranteed ATAR: 70

This is the ATAR level at which an offer of admission is guaranteed, subject to any other non-ATAR criteria being met.

OR

TAFE:

AQF Certificate IV - Separate evidence of English language proficiency is required; or

AQF Diploma; or

AQF Advanced Diploma.

Essential WACE subjects (prerequisites):

English ATAR, Literature ATAR or English as an Additional Language/Dialect ATAR.

STAT entry:&nbspWritten English and either MC Verbal or Quantitative

The Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) assesses competencies considered important for success at uni.
These tests are provided by the Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) to help mature age candidates apply for certain courses.

Applicants with work and life experience

Applicants with work and life experience are those who left secondary education more than two years ago (i.e. who are not classified as recent secondary education applicants) and have not undertaken vocational education training (VET) or higher education study since then.

‘Experience’ includes a combination of factors sufficient to demonstrate readiness for higher education such as mature-age entry, professional experience whether completion of the Special Tertiary Admission Test (STAT) is required or not, community involvement or work experience. Applicants may have undertaken non-formal programs that have helped prepare them for tertiary education or are relevant to the proposed higher education field of study.

Guaranteed ATAR: 70

This is the ATAR level at which an offer of admission is guaranteed, subject to any other non-ATAR criteria being met.

Essential WACE subjects (prerequisites):

English ATAR, Literature ATAR or English as an Additional Language/Dialect ATAR.

STAT entry:&nbspWritten English and either MC Verbal or Quantitative

The Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) assesses competencies considered important for success at uni.
These tests are provided by the Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) to help mature age candidates apply for certain courses.

Applicants with other international qualifications

The offering information on this website applies only to future students. Current students should refer to faculty handbooks for current or past course information. View courses information disclaimer.